Forever With You
by ladylibra73
Summary: Carlos gets killed going after a skip. Does he come back?


Forever With You

Carlos gets killed going after a skip. Does he come back?

Chapter 1

Stephanie woke up from a good dream when she felt kisses all over her. She opened her eyes to see Carlos kissing her stomach.

"You having fun?" she asked smiling.

"Yes I am."

"Well, you woke me up from a glorious dream."

"Oh yeah, what were you dreaming about?"

"Us, making love on the beach in Hawaii."

"Mmmm, Hawaii." Carlos said crawling up to her. "Was it something like this?" Carlos getting on top and kissing her.

"Mmmm, definitely."

She broke the kiss.

"I love you Carlos."

"I love you too Babe."

"Forever."

Forty five minutes later, they lay in each others arms.

"That was so fabulous. I'm never letting you go." said Stephanie hugging him tightly.

"Good, cause you're stuck with me. Speaking of." Carlos got out of bed and went to the safe in the right corner of the room. Stephanie sat up as Carlos walked back to the bed. He handed her a blue velvet box.

"I've been wanting to give this to you, but haven't found the perfect time to do it."

She opened the box and found a 14K White Gold Diamond Infinity Ring. Carlos took her hand.

"Stephanie, will you marry me?"

She smiled.

"Yes."

Carlos took the ring out of the box and put it on her finger.

"I love you Carlos." she said kissing him.

"I love you Stephanie."

"Forever." they said together.

They showered, dressed and ate. An hour later, they made their way downstairs. Stephanie followed Carlos to his office. Tank came in a couple minutes later.

"Morning Rangeman, Stephanie. I went to the Bonds Office this morning and Connie handed me an urgent case on Carlo Hernandez." said Tank handing Carlos the file.

"Who is this?" asked Stephanie looking over the file with Carlos.

"Big time kidnapper and rapist. He's at Trane Residential System. We have to hurry before we lose him." said Tank.

"Let's go." said Carlos walking out the door. Stephanie grabbed his arm.

"Be careful." said Stephanie.

"Always."

"I love you."

"I love you too Babe." he said kissing her.

"Forever." Stephanie said watching him leave.

Four hours later, when Stephanie left her office to get her lunch, Tank came walking down the hallway.

"Hey Tank, did everything go ok? Where's Carlos?"

"I need you to come into my office." Tank said taking her arm.

"What happened?"

"I need you to come in my office."

"No Tank tell me!" Stephanie said nearly screaming.

"We got in the warehouse and everything was quiet. Then all Hell broke loose. We lost Carlos in the raid. He went looking for Carlo. I guess one of the gunmen took Carlos. When we found Carlos, he was beaten up and they..."

"No I don't want to hear anymore. I need to get out of here." said Stephanie turning around bumping into Lester.

"I need to get out of here." she said bumping into the wall. She started crying and fell against the wall. Lester picked her up and gathered her in his arms till she fell asleep.

Antonio Ricardo woke up to beeping. He opened his eyes and closed them quickly. The light on the ceiling bothered his eyes. His head hurt and so did his body. He tried to sit up, but his ribs hurt. A nurse came in and was surprised. She left the room and a couple of minutes later, a doctor came in.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Hoyt. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been beaten." he whispered.

"How does your head feel?"

"I have a splitting headache."

The doctor checked his eyes.

"Do you know what happened to you?"

He thought for a moment.

"I was killed by a man named Hernandez."

"You were chasing a suspect down the street. The suspect's partner shot your tire and caused you to flip over. You've been in a coma for ten days. You have a couple of broken ribs, a fractured left forearm and a head injury. Amnesia can be the cause. I'm sure it will come back. I'll have the nurse give you something for the headache. You're lucky to be alive. An accident like that should've killed you." the doctor said then he whispered to the nurse and left the room. Ricardo fell into a deep sleep.

Later that evening, Antonio was dreaming of a woman with long curly hair and slim looking. She was sitting up in bed and he noticed that she had blue eyes. She had the nicest blue eyes he had ever seen. She then smiled and then the smile faded. She was trying to reach for him, but something was holding her back. Then he felt a blow to the head and screaming. Antonio woke up startled. The dream seemed so real. He wondered who the woman was. She seemed familiar to him and it felt like he knew her. Just then, Jack Brady, Antonio's partner came walking in the room. He was in his mid forties, had thinning brown hair and a beginnings of a belly.

"Hey Ricky, how are you?"

"Do I know you?"

Jack's smile faded.

"He has amnesia." the nurse said as she was walking in. She quickly checked his vitals and left.

I'm Jack Brady. I've been your partner for five years. So glad you're alive."

They talked a few minutes more and Jack left. Two weeks later, Antonio was well enough to leave the hospital. Jack drove Antonio to his apartment. Antonio got out of the car and stared at the building.

"Everything ok?" asked Jack.

"This is where I live?"

"Yes. You've lived here for five years. Don't worry, everything will come back." said Jack as they entered the elevator. They took the elevator to the fourth floor. When Antonio walked in, he looked around the apartment. Antonio walked over to the balcony then to the bedroom.

"You rest up. I have to get back to the precinct. Another case came in."

"What case?"

"Murder. I'll let you take a peek, but please, don't go out and investigate. You're supposed to be taking it easy. I'll talk to you later."

Antonio sat at the table and looked over at the file. Ricardo Carlos Manoso, murdered by Carlo Hernandez. Antonio's head began to hurt. He closed his eyes and saw that he was being beaten by two men. He opened his eyes and grabbed his bag for pain killers. He popped two pills and washed them down with water. Ten minutes later, he fell asleep on the couch.

Chapter 2

A couple days later, Antonio walked in the lobby of Rangeman, He told the guy at the desk he wanted to talk someone in charge. A couple of minutes later, a big black man met Antonio.

"Hello. Are you the man in charge?"

"Yes I am. The name is Tank."

"Detective Antonio Ricardo. I'm here to investigate the murder of Ricardo Manoso."

"Come up with me to my office."

They took the elevator to the fifth floor. When Antonio stepped out of the elevator, he looked around. The place looked familiar somehow. He followed Tank to his office. Antonio took the seat across from Tank.

"I read the file on Ricardo Manoso. One brutally murdered soldier. He joined the Army for ten years then put together this place. He did real well for himself."

"Yes he did. He will be missed. He was like a brother to me. He proposed to Stephanie hours before the murder that day."

Just then Antonio had a flash of him getting hit in the back of the head. He touched his head.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Three weeks ago, I was chasing a suspect and his partner shot my tire and the car flipped over. I was in a coma for ten days. I had a couple of broken ribs and a fractured forearm."

"You're lucky to be alive. That's about the same time Carlos was killed."

"Anyway, sorry about your friend. Who is this Stephanie?"

"Stephanie Plum. She works with us. A few years ago, she got let go from a lingerie store and needed something right away. So Carlos helped her out and trained her. The next day she wanted to go find Hernandez. We couldn't find him and she was really desperate. She visits Carlos everyday."

"Is she here now? I would like to speak to her."

Tank looked at his watch.

"No. She is at Greenwood Cemetery. She is there now everyday at this time."

Stephanie knelt in front of Carlos' stone and ran her hands across his name. She felt a tingle when she saw someone walking to her. She pulled out her gun as the man raised his arms.

"I'm not here to hurt you and I didn't mean to startle you."

Stephanie couldn't see who was coming toward her because the sun was in her eyes. Then he moved and what she saw made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She quickly got up and looked at him. The guy had mocca latte skin, pure brown eyes like Carlos , short brown hair, but different facial features. He also had a goatee.

"I'm Detective Antonio Ricardo. Sorry to hear about your fiancee."

She said nothing.

"I was hoping to talk to you about finding Carlo Hernandez. I know you want to get him and bring him to justice."

"Justice! I don't want to bring him to justice. I want him killed!" Stephanie said taking off her sunglasses. Antonio noticed the color of her eyes. The same color eyes he saw in his dream and her.

"He murdered the love of my life. Carlos and I were going to be together forever."

"I understand. We will find him, that I promise you."

"Yeah sure. The guys I work with can't find him and they're bounty hunters. I asked other detectives to find him, no luck. So what can you do to find him?" she said walking away.

"Stephanie." Antonio said walking to her. "We will find him."

"I sure hope so."

Two nights later, Stephanie was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when she felt a tingle, then there was a knock at the door. When she opened the door, she found Antonio. He was dressed all in black.

"This is a surprise."

"Yeah, I didn't plan on coming here, but I thought we could work together on finding Hernandez."

"Ok."

"Are you going to invite me in?"

"Oh yes, sorry. Would you like a bottled water?"

"Yes please."

When Antonio walked in, he looked around.

"Does Tank know you're up here?"

"Yes."

"Does he know why you're up here?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him why you're here?"

"Yes and he is fine with it."

"Ok great."

"As long as he can be in the action also and he can watch you. Listen Stephanie, this is a dangerous man we're going after. Everybody here doesn't want to see you get hurt or killed."

"I'm not going after him alone. So you don't have to worry. What is that smell?"

"Bulgari soup. I took a shower before I came over here."

"Carlos used the same thing."

"Ok. Here is what I found out. He has an older sister that lives in Trenton. Alicia is her name. She's thirty six and works at a beauty salon. I thought we could go there tomorrow and have a talk with her. Maybe she'll know where he is."

"I think that's a great plan."

"I'm not supposed to be working, but I begged my partner for this investigation."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just thought I would take it."

"Are you Cuban?"

"No, I'm Puerto Rican. My parents were born there. They came to the US in 1975. I was in born in Miami, Florida. My parents still live there. I got transferred here five years ago. I live in Beechwood Avenue."

"Carlos was Cuban. His parents came to America in 1974 and settled in Newark, New Jersey where Carlos was born. He's got five siblings. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child."

"How did you get hurt?"

"I was chasing a suspect and his partner shot out my tire and my car flipped over. I was in a coma for ten days."

"How terrible. You're lucky to be alive."

"That's what the doctor said. God must have been watching over me."

"Yeah, he probably was."

Stephanie put her hands over her face and began crying.

"Are you ok?"

"I just miss Carlos. Sometimes I can feel his presence like right now." Stephanie said rubbing her arms.

Antonio noticed the ring shining in the light.

"That's a nice ring."

"Thank you. It's an Infinity ring. He proposed to me that day. We would be together forever." Stephanie said looking at the ring.

Antonio closed his eyes and saw that he was putting a ring on her finger.

"Are you ok?"

He opened his eyes.

"What! Yes I am. I have to go. I'll pick you up at ten. Have a good night." Antonio said walking out the door.

Chapter 3

The next morning, as Stephanie was walking to her office, Tank called her in.

"What's up?"

"I know Antonio visited you last night. What did you talk about?"

"We're going to talk to Hernandez's sister Alicia. See if we can find out where he is. She works at the salon."

"Be careful. I don't want you get into any trouble."

"Oh, I won't."

"What time is he picking you up?"

"Ten. So, I'm going to start on searches."

At ten minutes before ten, Stephanie's phone rang.

"Hello."

"I'm almost there. Be ready."

"I will be right down."

Stephanie gathered her stuff and went to Tank's office.

"I'm leaving. Be back later."

"Be careful."

Stephanie took the elevator down to the lobby. When she stepped outside, she saw a black Porsche waiting. She opened the door and looked inside. Antonio dressed all in black and wearing shades. He also shaved off his goatee.

"This is surprising."

"Why?"

"I don't know. You don't seem the Porsche driving type."

"What type of car do you think I should be driving?"

"A Chevy Silverado."

"Had one, got tired of it. Let's go talk to Alicia."

They arrived at Alicia's salon ten minutes later. When they entered, there were four people getting their hair trimmed.

"May I help you?" the woman receptionist asked Antonio eyeing him from head to toe.

"I'm here to see Alicia. Is she here?"

The woman frowned. "She's in the back. I will go get her."

A couple minutes later, a slim looking latina woman with long dark hair came walking out. She a maroon v neck blouse and a black skirt. Stephanie thought she looked like Eva Mendes.

"How may I help you?" she asked flirtatiously and rubbing Antonio's arm.

"I'm here to talk about your brother Carlo Hernandez."

"What about him?" she said crossing her arms.

"I was wondering if you know where he is."

"No I don't. I haven't seen that son of a bitch in twenty years. He never cared about me when we were kids. My father was very abusive to me. He didn't do anything to protect me from my father. My mother was the same way. So I would appreciate it if you would leave."

"That went well. Now what?" Stephanie asked.

"I say we pay a visit to the mother."

"Where does she live?"

"New Brunswick."

They arrived at Stella Davenport's single story Mediterrian style mansion. He stopped at the gate and as it opened he entered a long driveway. He came up to a circular driveway with a fountain in the middle. They went up to the door and knocked. A bald man looked to be in his mid fifties answered the door. He was also wearing a black suit.

"May I help you?"

"I'm Detective Ricardo and this is Stephanie Plum. We would like to talk to Stella about her son Carlo."

"Just a moment please."

The man came back a minute later.

"Please come in. She will be right with you."

When they walked in the entrance hall, a fountain stood in the middle of the ceramic tile floor. Double staircase on either side of the room. Five minutes later, a woman with a v neck red dress appeared. Stephanie thought she looked like Raquel Welch. She appeared to be in her mid fifties and her face flawless.

"I hear you want to talk about my son. What did he do now?"

"We want to know where he is." asked Stephanie.

"I don't know where he is. He visits me."

"When did he visit you?" Antonio asked.

"Last week. We went to lunch at the Sahara Restaurant."

"We're looking for him cause he murdered my fiancee a few weeks ago." said Stephanie.

"Murder! He wouldn't do such a thing! He wouldn't kill a fly if it bothered him."

"How about your husband? Does he know where he is?" asked Antonio.

"My husband died five years ago."

"Thank you. Call me if you see him." Antonio said handing her his card.

"When we do find him, he's going to prison for the rest of his life!" Stephanie said madly as Antonio led her out the door. When they got in the car, Stephanie started to cry.

"Are you going to be ok?"

"No one seems to know where Carlo is. This is hopeless."

"Hey." Antonio said taking Stephanie's hands away from her face. He put his hands on her face and wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

"Like I said, we will find him. Don't give up hope." he said looking into her eyes. She looked into his eyes and leaned closer to him when her stomach growled.

"Time to feed the beast. Pino's ok?"

She glanced at him.

"Yes."

The place was filling up quickly. Antonio noticed a booth in the back so he quickly grabbed it. He sat with his back to the wall, Stephanie sat across from him.

"Best table here and I can see what's going on."

"This is what Carlos did."

The waitress came over to take their order.

"I'm going to have a Caesar Salad and water."

I'm going to have a meatball sub."

"That stuff will kill you Babe."

"That's what Carlos used to say."

"Maybe that was a sign that he wanted you to eat healthy. Eating doughtnuts everyday is not healthy either."

"How did you know I eat doughnuts? Did Tank tell you that?"

"No. That was just a guess."

They ate their lunch in silence. By the time they left, the crowd thinned out. Antonio drove her back to Rangeman.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" asked Antonio.

"Searches. I haven't gotten them done in two days, well a little bit this morning and I will probably visit Carlos later."

"Ok. I'll call you later to let you know if I have anything new regarding the case."

"Ok great. Have a good day."

She was almost out of the car when Antonio grabbed her arm.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night. I will cook for you. What do you think?"

"Is it business or pleasure?"

"Business. We can talk about the Hernandez case. I'm not going to make a move on you if that's what you're thinking."

"What time?"

"Is seven ok?"

"That's fine. See you then." said Stephanie watching him drive away and then walked in the building. When she got off the elevator, she met Tank in the hallway.

"How did your day go?"

"Not well. We talked to Alicia, she doesn't know where he is. We visited Stella, his mother, she doesn't know where he is. He visits her and they had lunch together last week at the Sahara restaurant."

"I'm sure something will turn up and you need to get going on those searches."

"I'm going to get on them now."

A few hours later, Stephanie finished the last file and went to Tank's office.

"I'm all caught up. I'm going to go visit Carlos."

"Great thanks. Tell Carlos I said hi."

It was a fifteen minute drive to the cemetery. Stephanie knelt down and plucked some weeds.

"Hi, how are you? Sorry I haven't visited in a couple days. This detective Antonio Ricardo and I are looking for Hernandez. We talked to his sister and mother too, they don't seem to know where he is. He visits his mother, but she doesn't know where he is. I'm not giving up." She touched the stone. "I miss you so much I work beside Antonio, I feel like you're right beside me. I even feel tingles when he's near. Don't you think that strange?"

She stayed for another hour and drove back to Rangeman.

Chapter 4

Stephanie arrived at his apartment at exactly seven. She heard classical music playing. She knocked loud so he could hear her. She smiled when he opened the door.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi, you're right on time. Have you ever had Ropa Vieja?"

"Yes I have."

"Great. I also have wine if you want some."

"Sure." Antonio wore a white buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The three top buttons were unfastened to show some muscled chest. She wondered what his whole body looked like. Where did that thought come from? She shook her head and noticed boxes sitting in a corner of the living room.

"What's with the boxes?"

"I'm thinking of moving."

"Why?"

"It doesn't feel right. I feel like I belong some place cleaner, more modern. I had that same feeling when Jack dropped me off from the hospital."

"Have you found anything?"

"No. Do you know a place?"

"No, but I will look around."

Antonio set her plate down and filled her wine glass. They ate in silence for a minute. Antonio gave her the file.

"I have more information on Hernandez. I found an uncle here in Trenton. We should go pay him a visit tomorrow." said Antonio drinking his wine.

"That is if he'll tell us where he is."

"I have a feeling he will." Antonio said closing his eyes. He saw he was being dragged in a dark corridor.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah. Mild headache pain. It will go away on it's own. His uncle's name is George. They used to spend a lot of time together when he was a kid and part of his teen years." he said covering his eyes again. This time he saw everything quite clear. He was being chained up.

"Are you sure you're ok? You don't look so good."

"It's fine. A mild headache can be stubborn sometimes."

"Why don't I get your pain pills."

"No, I will be fine."

Stephanie looked at the file while Antonio closed his eyes again and this time they were beating him. Antonio clutched his head tighter. He could clearly see what was happening. The man was given a gun and pointed it at his head.

"Say goodbye."

"Babe."

The gun went off and Antonio jerked and fell to the floor.

"Antonio!" Stephanie yelled. She quickly fell to the floor. She tried to wake him by touching his face and forehead.

"Antonio, wake up."

She grabbed the phone and dialed 911. The ambulance arrived five minutes later. Stephanie explained everything to the EMT. He was put on a gurney and into the ambulance. Stephanie followed the ambulance to St. Francis Hospital. They took him to the exam room as Stephanie walked in. She sat down and waited. An hour later she got up to ask the nurse what the progress was.

"They're still running tests."

"Thank you." Stephanie was turning around. She saw Tank walk in and ran to him. She told him everything that happened. Half an hour later, she saw the doctor come walking down the hallway toward her. She quickly got up.

"How is he?"

"He's going to be fine, he's resting. Found nothing on any scan, which is good. He was supposed to be resting not working."

"He volunteered to help me find Carlo Hernandez. He murdered my fiancee a few weeks ago."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"May I see him?"

"Ten minutes."

Stephanie quickly got up to find his room. She quietly opened the door to find him sleeping. She slowly walked in and stood beside the bed. She took his hand and held it. She felt electricity go down her spine. How could this be? How could she be feeling that when he isn't Carlos? He stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi." he whispered.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"They didn't find anything wrong. Everything is normal. What I think happened is that you weren't resting enough, which you should've been."

"I know. I wanted to catch my killer."

"Your killer?"

"We need to find Hernandez so I can kill him for what he did to me."

"Did to you? What are you talking about? He killed Carlos."

"I am Carlos Babe. I am just as clueless as you are. I don't know how this happened, but it did."

"No, I don't believe this."

"You want proof that I'm Carlos? Ok. You were born in October. Your favorite holiday is Halloween. You used to work at the Tasty Pastry when you were in high school. Years later, you worked at EE Martin as a lingerie buyer and got laid off."

"You could've looked that up in my file."

"Not convinced?"

"You went to Vinnie's to get a job as a clerk, but instead you blackmailed him to become a bounty hunter. Your first case was Joe Morelli. You didn't succeed on getting him, so you needed more training. I helped you on how to become a better bounty hunter."

Stephanie looked unconvinced.

"When you were little, you jumped off the roof of the house and broke your arm. You thought you were Wonder Woman. You married a guy named Dickie Orr and months later you divorced him because you caught him with Joyce making out on the dining room table."

"That's enough. Tank could've told you all this."

"The morning before me and the team went to go after Hernandez, we made love and then I proposed to you. I got you this Infinity ring because we would be together forever."

"No, I just can't believe this. You're pretending to be Carlos."

"I am Carlos Babe. You have to believe me."

"No I won't. I don't believe it at all!" Stephanie said walking quickly out the room as Tank watched her leave.

A couple of hours later, the doctor looked over Antonio's chart.

"Everything looks good. Nothing out of the ordinary. What I want you to do is rest, which you should've done. I want to keep you overnight just to be safe. You can leave mid morning tomorrow. Do you have someone that can pick you up?"

"I will pick him up." said Tank walking in as the doctor left.

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

"I overheard earlier what you were telling Stephanie and I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yeah I do."

"I'm glad someone believes me."

"So, do you know how this happened?"

"No I don't. What I remember is us going in the warehouse and then fighting the gunmen. I go off and search for Hernandez and then I got hit in the head. I wake up and I'm chained. They beat me and then Hernandez aims his gun at me and shoots. Then I'm in limbo and I feel a pull and I wake up in a hospital. The doctor asked me if I remembered anything that happened to me and I said I was killed by a man named Hernandez and the doctor thinks Antonio has amnesia. I kept fading in and out." Carlos said getting up and looking in the mirror.

"What have you got on this Antonio Ricardo guy?"

"His name is, was, Antonio Miguel Ricardo, 31. He's Puerto Rican/American. He joined the Army at 20 and at 25, he joined the Police Academy and became detective at 29. Partner Jack Brady, 45, joined him five months later. Going to be tough telling all the guys who you really are."

I'm sure they'll come around once they know it's really me. I just have to get Stephanie to believe."

"She'll be the most difficult."

The next morning, Stephanie woke up at seven. She quickly showered and ate breakfast. When she arrived back at Rangeman last night, she looked in her office to see if she had anymore files. She had ten of them. She was out the door before eight. She went to Tank's office to find him not there. She found Lester walking the down the hall toward her.

"Where is Tank?"

"Had to run an errand. Should be back in an hour."

Stephanie went to her office and started on those searches. An hour and a half later, she felt a tingle then voices. She heard Tank about gathering everyone, Stephanie focused on her work. She then heard all the guys gathering around. She couldn't stand what was going on, so she grabbed her belongings and left. She quickly took the stairs and ran down. She got in her car and quickly drove to the cemetery. She ran to the stone and knelt. She touched the stone and cried.

"I'm confused Carlos. Yesterday evening I went to Antonio's for business dinner. We got into talking more about the case and what other people we can go talk to when Antonio was having headache pain. He said it was mild, but it wasn't. I guess the pain got worse and then the next thing I know, he faints and falls to the floor. He was taken to the hospital and found nothing wrong. I go to his room and when I touch his hand, I feel electricity go down my spine. I mean, that's not supposed to happen. He wakes up and I said he over did it helping me try to find Hernandez. He said he knows and when he finds Hernandez, he is going to kill him. I asked him why he would kill Hernandez and he said he said Hernandez killed me. I said he didn't kill you, he killed Carlos. He says he is you. I didn't believe him. So, in order for me to believe him, he tells me what he knows about me. What month I was born, my favorite holiday, my first job when I was high school, when I was laid off from EE Martin. I mean he could've looked all that up in my file. He still didn't think I believed him. Then he mentioned something that really scared me. The morning before you went looking for Hernandez, we made love then proposed to me. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I then left to be alone and think. He's at Rangeman now telling everyone that he's you. I just don't know what to do and believe."

Chapter 5

Two hours later, Stephanie arrived back at Rangeman. She walked out of the elevator and everything looked normal. She didn't see Antonio anywhere so she walked into her office and continued with her searches. She was in the middle of printing when Tank walked in, closed the door and sat in the chair across from her.

"Where have you been?"

"I needed to be alone."

"Understandable. Carlos has everyone convinced that he is Carlos. I think Junior got puzzled by the whole thing."

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe he's Carlos. Antonio could looked up Carlos' file of the way he acts, dresses."

"I don't believe that. I know Carlos. Look, I didn't believe it at first, then a couple of hours later, I did. I know it will take you a while, but when you're around him, don't act weird."

Tank left and she continued with her work. At six, she got caught up on her searches and brought them to Tank's office.

"Those go to Carlos' office now, but he's not there. I told him to go upstairs and rest. Doctors orders."

"How long ago was this?"

"Half an hour ago. Like I said before, don't be a stranger, act normal."

Stephanie gathered her belongings and took the elevator. When the doors opened on seven, she couldn't move. She walked to the door and let herself in. A single lamp was on low. The door to Carlos' room was partially open and looked in. He was asleep, so she quietly closed the door. She went to the fridge to get her other half of her meatball sub and warmed it up. She sat on the couch and turned on the TV with the volume low. She put on Ghostbusters and ate her sub. When the movie ended, she gathered her trash. When she turned around, Carlos stood in the doorway.

"You scared me. How long have you been standing there?"

"Just now."

She noticed a bandage around his waist and a cast on his forearm. Antonio's body wasn't as muscular as Carlos.

"Ribs still hurt?"

"A little bit. I'll have Bobby check everything tomorrow. Watching Ghostbusters?"

"Yes I was. I hope it wasn't too loud."

"No it wasn't." he said watching her throw away her garbage. She looked at the clock. Eight.

"I'm heading to bed."

"Already! It's only eight. We usually go to bed at 10:30, 11."

"I had a busy day and I'm tired."

"Ok, I'll be in a few hours."

She hoped not. She hoped he fell asleep on the couch. Stephanie changed into her shorts and T-shirt and got into bed. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. Half an hour later, she fell asleep. During the night, she woke up and had a strange feeling. She turned over to see Carlos in bed with her. She quietly got out of bed and was halfway to the door when the light turned on.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm thirsty."

"I'll come with you." Carlos said getting up.

"Oh my GOD!" she said turning away and leaving the room.

"What's the matter?" Carlos asked following her to the kitchen.

"You're naked."

"Yeah I am. I do sleep naked, you should know that."

"Yeah, but I haven't seen the new you naked." she said getting the water bottle from the fridge.

"I'll take some getting used to."

"I'm going to sleep on the couch." Stephanie said quickly walking in the bedroom and getting the blanket.

"Babe, don't do this."

"Goodnight." she said turning off the light.

The next morning, Stephanie woke up feeling a little stiff. Memories of last night came back to her. It was quiet in the apartment. She walked in the bedroom, Carlos wasn't there. He wasn't in the bathroom either. So she quickly took a shower. When she stepped out of the shower, the door opened and Carlos came in.

She quickly grabbed the towel.

"Oh my God! Knock first!"

"I shouldn't have to. It's not like I have never seen your body before."

"I'm going to move in one of the fourth floor apartments." Steph said walking out of the bathroom.

"Babe wait. I'm sorry I just walked in. I will knock next time."

"If you don't mind, I would like to get dressed in private."

Carlos closed the door and got in the shower. When he got dressed a few minutes later, Stephanie was nowhere to be found.

"Hey Tank, do you know if there any apartments on four that are available?"

"One I think. Why?"

"I don't feel comfortable with Carlos. It's just not the same. You say it's Carlos, but it's not Carlos."

"It is Carlos. You haven't been around him long to know."

"So can I have the apartment?"

"No."

"Fine. I will look for an apartment somewhere else." said Stephanie slamming the door shut.

"Everything looks good. Are you experiencing any more headaches?" asked Bobby.

"I had a little one yesterday. Tank noticed I was rubbing my temple and told me to go take a nap. I felt better afterwards."

"Good. Your arm is healing nicely and how your ribs? Any pain?"

"Still hurting some, but not as bad as before. I did a slow forty five minute walk on the treadmill this morning."

"That's good. How is everything with Stephanie?"

"She's trying to avoid me. Last night she went to bed early and it was eight and she got up during the night to get a drink of water and I followed her. I was naked."

"She hasn't seen this new body of yours. Try wearing shorts to bed until she gets used to the new you."

"How in shape is this guys body anyway? Seems like he was no exercise buff." Carlos said looking at his body.

"Good shape. No known diseases or anything."

"Well, once I'm healed, I'm going to work it real good and anyways she slept on the couch."

"Give her time."

"I'm just wondering how long that will be."

Half hour later, Carlos made his way up to Tank's office when he saw Stephanie's office light off.

"Where's Steph?"

"Isn't she in her office?" asked Tank.

"No."

Carlos walked over to the control room.

"Does anyone know where Stephanie is?"

"On the roof. She's been up there for an hour." said Cal.

"Do you really want to go up there?" yelled Tank.

Carlos made his way up to the roof. When he opened the door, he saw Stephanie standing against the edge of the roof.

"You've been up here a while."

"I just want to be alone."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Stephanie turned around.

"It's you. You say you're Carlos, but I just don't see it."

"It is me Babe. You haven't been with me long enough to know. I just can't explain how this happened. It's like I was given a second chance at life. Maybe a chance to get Hernandez."

"We haven't spoken to his uncle yet. I'm going to go pay him a visit." said Stephanie.

"We both should go. I want to ask him questions also. Where does he live?"

"Here in Trenton and he lives in the apartment building where I used to live."

"Let me guess, in your old apartment."

"Yes he is." Stephanie said with a little smile.

They arrived the apartment ten minutes later. Stephanie felt funny knocking on the door she used to live in. The door opened and a man in his fifties answered. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and a bit muscular.

"May I help you?"

"We're here if you know where Carlo Hernandez is." asked Carlos.

"Who are you?"

"We're BEA." said Carlos.

"Oh, what did he do?"

"He murdered my fiancee a few weeks ago. We thought you may know where he is."

"Murder! Carlo wouldn't do such a thing. He's not capable of hurting anyone."

"He did." Stephanie said.

"When was the last time you saw him?" asked Carlos.

"In Newark last night. We meet every Wednesday night at Blitz Sportsbar to play pool. He's there every night doing business or something."

"Any illegal stuff?"

"Don't know. You're not going to arrest him are you?"

"I'm afraid we have to." Carlos said.

They talked a few minutes more and left.

"We must go to Newark tonight at this nightclub. We've got to get this guy." Carlos said starting the car.

"You really want to get this guy in the shape your in?"

"This is our window of opportunity to get him. He may not be there the next night and he'll move on to another club. Then we would be back at square one. We have to do this tonight."

The rest of the ride was in silence. Once Carlos put the car in park, she got out of the car and into the elevator. She walked in Tank's office.

"You have to stop him. We visited Carlos' uncle and he says Carlo is at the Blitz Sportsbar in Newark. 'Carlos', said Stephanie air quoting his name. "Wants to get him and I told him he is in no condition to go after him."

"This is going to be a distraction job. You got any good distraction outfits?" asked Carlos.

"Yes I do."

"Great. We'll do the same as always. You try to get him out and we'll wait outside."

"Sure. What if something happens on the way out? He'll sense something is wrong."

"We'll watch every move he will make, especially you Babe. Tank, gather everyone in conference room A."

Everyone was seated as Stephanie walked in the conference room. She stood by the door listening to what Carlos was saying. Forty five minutes later, when everyone started leaving, she caught up with Bobby in the hallway.

"Do you think it's ok for Antonio to go out like this?"

"Carlos you mean. If Carlos is careful, then it's ok. He promised me he would just watch from the outside, we'll do all the work. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Chapter 6

Later that evening, Stephanie checked herself in the mirror for the third time. She wanted to make sure everything was noticeable in her white Nocturnal Seamless Mini Dress. For boots, she wore 4 1/2 inch GOGO Boot with inner zipper and platform and flower cut out. She kept her hair down. She was ready and made her way down to five. Carlos was talking to the group when they turned around. All their mouths dropped open.

"Well?"

"It's very nice." said Tank.

"I wouldn't mind taking that off later." said Lester."

"Focus." said Carlos hitting him in the head. "We all know what to do. Let's head out."

Stephanie got on the elevator first. She got in the backseat with Bobby and Lester on either side of her. Carlos got in the passenger side while Tank drove. Five other guys drove in another SUV. The drive took an hour. When they arrived at the club, there was already a line. Carlos placed the mike in her ear.

"Be careful in there. I'll be watching and listening."

Stephanie straightened her dress and walked up to the door. The Bouncer didn't have to look twice to let her in. Stephanie walked in and looked around. The place was crowded and the music was loud. She found him seated at the end of the bar talking to someone. She made her way through the crowd. She walked by him and made sure he noticed. She found an empty seat.

"Haven't seen you here before."

"I'm new here."

"Well, let me buy you a drink. What will you have?"

"Anything strong. My fiancee broke off our engagement. He didn't say why."

"What an ass. Why would he break things off with someone as beautiful as you." he said looking her up and down.

"I do not know."

"What's your name beautiful?"

"Charlie, short for Charlotte. I like Charlie better."

"Don't blame you. My name is Carlo."

"Great name."

"Do you play pool?"

"No I don't."

"Come on. I'll teach you. It's not that hard."

Stephanie followed him. He took the cue stick and handed it to her. She took the stick and Carlo stood behind her and aimed the ball. The ball went in the hole.

"I did it!"

"You sure did sugar." said Carlos pinching her ass.

Stephanie straightened and smiled at him.

"Why don't we go somewhere private. I have an apartment a couple blocks away." Carlo said taking her arm and heading for the back door.

"Where are you going? My car is out front."

"That's ok. You can pick it up tomorrow. It's too crowded out front, so I parked in the back."

She got in his black Mustang and they headed out. She noticed that he was heading out of town.

"This is your way to your apartment?"

"No. There is something I have to do first."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse.

"Are we meeting someone here?"

"Maybe." he said getting out of the car.

Stephanie got out of the car and followed Carlo inside.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Tank.

"Yes. I put a tracker in her ear bud."

Five minutes later, they found the warehouse and the car. They made their plan and the guys surrounded the warehouse, while Carlos made his way to the front door. He slowly walked in and checked every corner and began his search.

"That should hold you. I have something I have to attend to, so I will be right back."

"You can't keep me here." Stephanie said tilting her neck to the right. She felt a tingle.

"What's the matter with your neck?"

"I'm getting a headache."

"Well, that's ok. I'll be back."

Stephanie tried to get loose when she saw movement. The figure got closer to the light. It was Carlos.

"Thank God you're here. How did you find me?"

"I put a tracker in your ear bud." Carlos said as he was untying her. He led her out of the warehouse and safely outside. They met Tank outside the door and met the other guys where the trucks were. Tank covered her with a blanket.

"He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No."

"Nobody didn't find anything?"

"No." they all said.

"Carlos." said Stephanie as Carlos was taking off his vest.

"I have something to tell you. I believe that you're..."

Then a shot rang out and Carlos fell to the ground.

"Carlos!" Stephanie yelled.

The guys drew out their guns and aimed for the roof.

"Bobby, Lester and Ram check inside, the rest of you, search the roof."

Tank noticed Carlos got shot in the chest. She held onto Carlos' hand tightly. Tank took off his jacket and put on Carlos' chest to stop the bleeding.

"Don't die on me Carlos." Stephanie said crying.

He looked at her and his eyes closed. Tank turned away.

"No Carlos, don't die! Carlos! I believe that you're Carlos. I believe." she said crying into his chest. She then felt something touching her hair. She opened her eyes, sat up to see Carlos looking at her.

"Babe."

"Carlos!"

"Babe."

"Oh my God! He's alive, Tank, he's alive! Call an ambulance! How can this be?"

"I don't know. One second I was dead and now I'm alive. Did you say that you believe that I'm Carlos?"

"Yes I am. I didn't believe it before, but now I do." Stephanie said smiling and wiping the tears away.

He tried to get up.

"No don't get up. The ambulance is on it's way."

She heard sirens coming. As the ambulance drove in, the other guys came back with Carlo in cuffs. Stephanie joined Carlos in the ambulance. She held onto his hand as they were working on him. When they got to the hospital, they took him to the OR immediately. Stephanie went in the waiting room. A few minutes later, she saw Tank walk in. She got up and hugged him.

"It's a miracle Tank."

"I know it is. When did you start believing that he's Carlos?"

"In the warehouse when he rescued me. I just had that feeling."

"You didn't have that feeling before?"

"No I didn't. I felt a tingle, but I didn't think it was real."

An hour and a half later, the doctor appeared to be in his fifties came walking down the hall. He had gray hair and so was his beard.

"How is he?" Stephanie asked standing up.

"He is good. The bullet went through his heart. I'm very surprised he didn't die."

"He did die for about five seconds then he was alive again."

"Like I said I'm very surprised and lucky he survived."

"So there is nothing wrong with his heart?"

"No nothing, everything is normal. He's in Recovery so you may see him."

Stephanie looked at Tank.

"Go on. Hold up. I think you should change into something else."

She asked the nurse if they had anything for Stephanie to change into. The nurse gave Stephanie navy blue cargo scrub clothes. She felt much better. When Stephanie walked in the room, Carlos was sleeping. She walked to the bed and took his hand in hers. She noticed a bandage on his chest and touched it. She saw his eyes flutter open.

"Carlos." she whispered.

"Babe."

"How are you feeling?" she asked sitting on the bed.

"Good, now that you're here."

"No, come on, how you really feel?"

"In a little bit of pain, but I will survive. So when did you realize that I'm Carlos?"

"When you rescued me. I just had that feeling it was you." Stephanie said putting her hands on his face. He did the same and they kissed. The kiss felt so wonderful. He deepened the kiss until they heard someone clearing their throat. They quickly pulled away.

"How are we feeling?" the doctor asked.

"In a little but of pain, but I'm doing fine."

"I'm Dr. Keller. I'm the one that operated on you. I'm quite curious how that bullet went through your heart and you didn't die."

"I call it a miracle." Stephanie said smiling.

"I guess so."

"Do you know any plastic surgeons that are in the area?"

"I could look some up. What do you want changed?"

"My nose, chin and lips."

"Ok, Let me go find a plastic surgeon for you. I will be back."

A few minutes later, Tank walked in.

"Hey, you're awake. How are ya?"

"In a little bit of pain, but I'll survive."

Just then the doctor came back in.

"I found you a facial surgeon. He works at Foster Facial Plastic Surgery. He's the best and he's been at it for twenty five years. Here is phone number." The Dr said handing the card to Stephanie.

"Thanks, we'll give give him a call." said Stephanie. So, what do you think?" Stephanie asked Carlos.

"I say call him." said Carlos.

Chapter 7

Couple days later, Hunter Grant walked in Carlos' room.

"Hi, I'm here to see Carlos."

"Yes that's me."

"Great. I'm Dr. Hunter Grant." he said shaking Carlos' hand. Hunter had short brown hair, hazel eyes, athletic build, looked to be in his late thirties.

"You must be Stephanie Plum."

"Yes I am." she said with a smile and shook his hand.

"Great. So, what can I do for you?"

"I would like to change my nose, lips and chin."

"Ok, do you have a picture of what you want them to look like?"

Stephanie handed the phone to Hunter and showed the picture to him.

"That shouldn't be too hard to do. Let me look at my schedule." Hunter said digging through his bag. He pulled out a 9.7 inch iPad Pro.

"I can do tomorrow morning at ten."

"That would be great. What do you think?" Stephanie asked Carlos.

"Yes." said Carlos smiling.

At eight thirty the next morning, Hunter came in the room and prepared Carlos for surgery. He made lines on his face on where to fix.

"The surgery should take up to six hours. You will feel some numbness,bruising and swelling afterwards and you need to take it easy for a while. No physical activity."

Just then Dr. Keller walked in.

"How is everything?"

"Everything is good." said Hunter.

"Good. I looked at your MRI and everything looks good. I'm still curious as to how you survived that gun shot, but as you said before, it is a miracle." the Dr said to Stephanie.

At ten minutes before ten, Stephanie gave Carlos a quick kiss and started rolling him out of the room when a man came running in.

"Hey Antonio, I heard what happened to you. Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm good. Got shot in the chest, I was lucky."

"So where are they taking you and why do you have marks on your face?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." said Carlos as he was being rolled away.

Later that night, Carlos woke up in a little bit of pain. Stephanie stood over him.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

"Water." he whispered.

Stephanie poured water in a cup and put a straw in it. He took a sip and closed his eyes.

"How bad do I look?"

"It's not too bad. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been punched in the face several times.

Dr. Grant walked in.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?"

"Like I had been beaten."

"That's understandable. We'll keep the bandages on for three weeks, then we'll take a look at everything. You need anything for pain?"

"No, I'm good."

"Ok, I'll check on you tomorrow afternoon. Have a good night." Hunter said leaving the room.

"So, are you really feeling ok?"

"No, but I'll manage."

It was after midnight when Carlos got to sleep. Stephanie talked to Carlos about Jack. She explained everything to Jack and Jack just left the room and didn't believe a word that Stephanie said. An hour later, Carlos got up to go to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror. His nose was covered with a bandage, his lips swollen and a chin strap bandage. He looked so hideous Carlos thought.

"Is everything ok?" Stephanie asked from behind.

"I look so hideous."

"It's only temporary. You will look normal in no time. Back to your old self."

Carlos turned around and put his arms around Stephanie.

"Yes I will. When these bandages come off, I will show Carlo my face once again."

The next morning, Dr Keller came in gave Carlos a clean bill of health. At noon, Dr. Grant came in and did a quick exam. Half an hour later, Carlos was released. Tank waited outside as Stephanie wheeled him out. She helped him in the truck and on the way to Rangeman. When they arrived at Rangeman, Stephanie helped him as Tank took the bags. The elevator stopped on five.

"You're not supposed to be working, you're supposed to be resting."

"I just want to check on things."

Some guys hugged Carlos and shook hands. An hour later, Carlos and Stephanie made their way upstairs. When they entered the apartment, Stephanie noticed Carlos looked tired. He sat on the couch and put his head back.

"You having any pain?"

"Some."

Stephanie handed him a couple of pills and a bottled water. Carlos got comfortable on the couch and fell asleep. Stephanie decided to work in the apartment. She took the searches out of her bag and started working. An hour later, Stephanie got up and checked on Carlos. He was still sleeping soundly. She went back to the office and started on another search when she heard moaning. She got up and checked on him. He was moaning and moving his head from side to side.

"No."

"Carlos." she whispered.

He was clutching the blanket.

"No!" Carlos yelled sitting up.

Carlos looked around and slowly laid back down.

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked handing him the bottled water.

"Being beaten and shot."

"I'm sure that will go away in time. How does your face feel?"

"Fine for now." Carlos said getting up and going to the bathroom.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Hi Tank, what's up?"

"Hi Bomber. Where's Carlos?"

"In the bathroom. He just woke up from a nap."

"How is he?"

"He had a nightmare of being beaten and shot."

"What's going on?" Carlos asked walking in the living room.

"Carlo has escaped from jail." said Tank.

"When?" asked Carlos.

"Last night. We might have a lead to where he is going."

"He can't g out there. He has to stay here and recover."

"I can't stop him."

Carlos disappeared. Five minutes later, he came back with the bandages off. He put on his boots and put his gun in his holster.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Going to catch this creep then I'm going to kill him." Carlos said putting on his jacket.

"You can't go out there. You're in no condition to!" Stephanie said.

"He has to be stopped Babe."

"You want to get yourself killed again? You go out there and that is the end of us." Stephanie said walking out the door and slamming it. Stephanie ran down the stairs all the way down to the garage. She need to take a walk. She walked two blocks and stopped. She couldn't believe Carlos would go out in his condition. She didn't understand why Carlos wouldn't let Tank and the guys get Hernandez. She walked back to Rangeman when she felt a prick in her neck then everything went black.

Chapter 8

As Carlos walked out of the elevator, Tank was right on his heels and entered the control room where Bobby, Lester, Hal, Cal and Ram were waiting.

"You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here. We have everything under control." said Tank.

"Where is he?" asked Carlos looking at the monitors.

"I don't know. The caller was following Hernandez and then lost him." said Tank.

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Carlos. "Did anyone see where Stephanie went off to?"

"Saw her leave here in a hurry." said Hal.

"Did you see where she went?"

Hector re ran the footage where Stephanie went. Carlos watched her walk pass the gate and around the corner. He waited to see if she came back. He thought she need some air to clear her mind, she didn't.

"Keep an eye on this and see if she comes back."

Just then Carlos' phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi Detective Ricardo. I have someone who wants to speak to you."

"Carlos."

"Babe, are you ok?"

"I'm fine and I was drugged and brought here."

"Where are you?"

"I don't why she keeps calling you Carlos. Maybe because your last name is Ricardo and that reminds her of Carlos. Her beloved fiancee I killed. Anyway, we're at the Poconos. There is a cabin by the lake. I want three million in two hours. If your not here in two hours, she's dead." said Hernandez hanging up

"What's up?" asked Tank.

"He's in Newark. At an abandoned movie theater near the park. You have two hours or she dies."

"Ok men, let's head out

Carlos watched the men get on the elevator. He went to his office and opened the safe. He unzipped the bag and put the money inside. He zipped it up and quickly walked pass the control room. He scrambled the cameras and got in the elevator down to the basement. He got in the Escalade and peeled out of the garage.

"Would you like some water?"

"I don't want anything from you."

"Ok." said Carlo sitting down and looking at his watch.

"Your boyfriend better get here soon. Two hours is almost up."

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"Revenge. You see, Carlos Manoso killed my brother and he got payback. Now I'm going to kill your detective boyfriend. How he survived a shot through the heart, I don't know. Yeah, I recognized you when you sat beside me at the bar. You're the Bombshell bounty hunter. I should've killed you then. Let's hope he doesn't make it in fifteen minutes, because I will surely enjoy killing you."

Just then Carlo heard a sound.

"Julien, what's going on?"

No answer. He untied Stephanie and took her with him. He kept his gun aimed at her back. Stephanie opened the door and Hernandez noticed five of his men on the ground. They both stepped outside and Carlo noticed a figure standing with the sun shining from behind. All you could see was a silhouette.

"Do you have my money?"

"It's all here."

"Throw the gun on the ground and bring the money over."

The figure stepped forward and what Carlo saw absolutely stunned him.

"I thought I killed you."

"You did, but I came back."

"Well now, I have the opportunity to kill you again and her." Carlo said aiming the gun towards Carlos.

"Say goodbye to your fiancee, dearie."

"No!" said Stephanie as she elbowed him in the stomach and the gun went off. She saw Carlos fall to the ground.

"Carlos!" Stephanie said running to him. She fell to her knees.

"Now it's your turn." said Carlo aiming the gun at Stephanie. She turned away and heard a gun shot. She looked up to see Carlo falling to the ground. She looked to see who shot him. Jack Brady stood next to the cabin. He quickly walked toward her and checked on Carlo.

"He's dead."

"How did you know we were here?"

"I followed Carlos."

Stephanie heard a moan and turned to Carlos.

"Carlos."

"Babe."

"Carlos, are you ok?"

"Yes, help me up."

She helped him get up. Carlos opened his jacket and found the bullet that hit his chest. Good thing he was wearing Kevlar.

"Thank goodness you hit him in the stomach or Carlos would've been shot in the head." said Jack walking over. "What you said the other day about your fiancee dying and somehow jumping into my partners body, somehow I believe it. I usually don't believe in the supernatural, but this time I do. So, this is what you look like."

"Yes."

"Handsome man you have here. I didn't believe it either then I had to think about it, then I realized I did. I got my fiancee back."

"Your a lucky woman. I will miss that partner of mine. He was one hell of a detective. Well, I guess we should haul this guy back to Trenton." said Jack.

Together, they put Hernandez in the back of Carlos' truck and headed back to Trenton. When Carlos and Stephanie arrived back from Rangeman, they were welcomed by Tank, Lester and Bobby. Lester opened the passenger door.

"We were wondering where he went off to." said Bobby.

"I will explain later. Right now, he needs attention."

"So, what happened?" asked Bobby as they brought Carlos into the infirmary.

"Carlo was aiming for Carlos' face, but then I hit him in the stomach and shot Carlos in the chest instead. Thank God for Kevlar."

"I'm glad you made it back." said Tank.

Bobby examined Carlos and everything looked ok. Half an hour later, Stephanie helped Carlos into their apartment. Carlos sat on the sofa while Stephanie got his pain pills and water. She sat down beside him.

"I can't believe you came and saved me in the condition you're in. You could've been killed."

"Yeah, but I didn't. Hernandez was aiming for my face, if it hadn't been for you hitting in the stomach, I would be dead. Lucky for me I got hit in the chest and wearing Kevlar."

"Yes you should be thankful and I should be thanking you for teaching me fighting techniques."

"Yes thank goodness for that." Carlos said taking her hand and kissing her. He pulled back.

"I feel so terrible. I guess I'll have to wait for the swelling to go down." said Carlos touching his nose.

"You'll be good as new in no time."

Six months later after Carlos' supposed death and facial surgery, everything was back to normal. He looked like Carlos again. January 1st, they got married and started their forever with each other.


End file.
